Tuning device for stringed instruments of the violin family



Feb. 18, 1941. o M HUBBARD 2,232,458

TUNING DEVICE FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS OF THE VIOLIN FAMILY Filed Jan. 51, 1940 ATT Patented Feb. 18, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TUNING DEVICE FOR STRINGED INSTRU- MENTS OF THE VIOLIN FAMILY 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a tuning device for string instruments of the violin family, such as the viola, cello and violin.

An object of the invention is to provide a tun- 5 ing device including a lever having a long power arm carrying an adjustable block to be supported by the string in front of the tail piece, and a short weight arm projecting at an obtuse angle from the long arm and adapted to enter the string aperture of the tail piece from the bottom and be secured at the top to the end of the string, the lever being adapted to fulcrum upon the edge of the aperture, and because of the power arm being of greater length than the weight arm,'exert great leverage with slight effort applied to the adjustable block to promote easy comfortable tuning of the string to the desired pitch.

A further object is to provide a unitary device of this character which may be easily and quickly applied, which may be formed of a few simple strong and durable parts, which may be easily manufactured, and which will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view the 25 invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification:

Figure l is a fragmentary plan view of a violin showing a tuning device constructed in accordance with the invention, applied to one of the strings.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the violin and tuning device shown in Figure 1 with 40 the downward pull of the device upon the string shown by dotted lines, and exaggerated, for the purpose of clearness.

Figures 3 is an end elevation of the tuning device.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of a modified form of the tuning device.

Referring now to the drawing in which like character of reference designate similar parts in the various views, the tuning device comprises a lever having a long power arm ID and a short weight arm II projecting at an obtuse angle from the power arm. The short arm is provided with a grooved head I2, best shown in Figure 3,

(cut-s02) for-the reception of one end of the violin string I3. In one form of the invention the long arm has rotatably secured in a smooth bore aperture I4 adjacent its end, a threaded stem I upon which is fixedly secured a suitable head IE5, preferably of wood or other non-metallic material, which in practice serves to mute the bad effect of metal which in practice is objected to in the tone of stringed instruments. Threadedly engaged, as shown at 9, on the threaded stem between the head and the lever is a block I! having a groove I8 on its bottom face to receive the violin string I3 between the tail piece and the bridge 22 of the violin so that the end of the long arm of the tuning device is supported by the string.

The short arm of the lever is adapted to enter the string aperture I9 of the tail piece from the bottom and the end of the violin string I3 is hitched in the groove of the short arm in the usual manner to secure the string to the lever. The lever is adapted to fulcrum at the bottom of the short arm upon the edge of the aperture I9 when slight pressure is applied to the head I6 to turn the stem I5 and because of the power arm I0 being of greater length than the Weight arm II, great leverage is exerted to pull down the block I! upon the string I3 to provide easy comfortable tuning of the string to the desired 9 pitch. The short arm rocks backward in the tail piece aperture I9 to tighten the string as shown by dotted lines and rocks forward in the aperture to loosen the string.

In Figure 5 there is shown another form of the tuning device in which the lever is provided with a long power arm 23 and with a short weight arm 24 projecting at an obtuse angle to the long arm. The short arm is provided with a grooved head 25 to receive the end of the string. At the end of the long arm the lever is provided with a threaded aperture 26 to receive a threaded stem 21. The stem terminates preferably in a nonmetallic head 28 and below the head the block 29 is loosely mounted on a smooth portion 30 of the stem. The block is grooved in the bottom to be supported by the string. The only difference between this form of the invention and the first described form of the invention is that the threaded stem is threadedly engaged with the lever in the form shown in Figure 5 and is threadedly engaged with the block in the form shown in Figure 2. In either form of the invention the action is the same, that is, when the stem is rotated the lever will be rocked on the edge of the tail piece aperture as a fulcrum to tighten or to loosen the string.

From the above description it is thought that the construction and operation of the invention will be fully understood without further explanation.

What is claimed is:

l. A tuning device for stringed instmments of the violin family comprising a lever having a long power arm and a short weight arm projecting at an angle from the power arm, the short arm terminating in a head formed for the reception of one end of the string of the instrument, the short arm-being adapted to be extended upwardly through one of the apertures of the tail piece of the instrument, a tuning stem mounted to turn axially in the end of the long arm, and a block assembled with the tuning stem having a groove in the bottom for receiving the string so that the string supports the device, said stem being connected to the block to effect unitary movement of the block and lever to cause the lever to rock at the bottom of the short arm upon the edge of said aperture as a fulcrum to tighten or to loosen the string.

2. A tuning device for stringed instruments of the violin family comprising a lever having a long power arm and a short weight arm projecting at an obtuse angle from the long arm, said short arm terminating in a grooved head for the reception of one end of the string of the instrument, the sort arm being adapted to be extended upwardly through one of the conventional apertures of the tail piece of the instrument, a tuning stem threadedly engaged in the long arm, a head fixed to the top of the tuning stem for turning the stem, and a block rotatably mounted on the 15 OSCAR M. HUBBARD. 

